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Settlements

	Litigation arising from a 1991 strike by Los Angeles employees of Caterair International, which provides catering for commercial airlines, resulted in a settlement in 2005 that included $4.069 million in backpay, bonuses, and interest for 235.

One of the NLRB's greatest success stories is the large number of unfair labor practice cases that result in settlements. Settlements can be between the private parties informally or between the Board and the party that committed the unfair labor practice. In Board settlement agreements, the Agency monitors compliance by the employer or union.

The Agency actively encourages the parties to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution of the issues at the earliest possible stage of an unfair labor practice case. Settlements are the most effective way to improve relationships between the parties and permit the Agency to concentrate its limited resources on other cases by avoiding costly litigation expenses.

During the last ten years, as a result of settlements, the NLRB has distributed nearly $430,000,000 to American workers in back pay for earnings lost as a result of unfair labor practices committed by employers and unions. As shown below, some of these settlements have involved millions of dollars and thousands of workers. When added to amounts collected by the Agency as a result of all settlements and compliance with NLRB and court orders over this ten year period, the NLRB has collected nearly $1,200,000,000.